Office of Research

Intellectual Property

The Office of Research supports faculty, staff, and students of the University who wish to protect their creative work by filing patents, publicizing inventions, licensing and managing the interactions with commercial partners. All inquires concerning intellectual property should be made through the Office of Research. Ultimately, any pursuit of legal rights or ownership will be processed through the Office of the University General Counsel.

The ownership of intellectual property created by Duquesne University employees or students is governed by the Administrative Policy No. 40 "Research and Patent Policy." The creator of any intellectual property substantially developed at Duquesne University is encouraged to contact the Office of Research early in the process and to file a simple disclosure form. The University assumes all costs related to protecting Intellectual Property developed at Duquesne and will share any royalties resulting from an invention with the inventor(s).

Patents

Any publication, disclosure or public demonstration of an invention, prior to filing for a patent, immediately eliminates any possibility of obtaining patent rights in a significant number of foreign countries. It is important that faculty, staff, and students promptly file an Invention Disclosure Form initiating the review and protection process.

The creator of intellectual property developed at Duquesne University is encouraged to make prompt written disclosure of the work by submitting a fully executed Invention Disclosure Form to the Office of Research. The disclosure must be made as early as possible and before the intellectual property is offered for sale, used for profit or disclosed to the public.

Confidentiality or Transfer of Materials:

Confidential Disclosure Agreements (CDA) or Material Transfer Agreements (MTA) help protect information, ideas, or property which is exchanged between Duquesne faculty and other universities or companies. The agreements can be executed to protect Duquesne property or to allow intellectual property from other organizations to be used at Duquesne.